The Texans could be without quarterback Matt Schaub for almost a month. Schaub injured the MCL in his left knee in the first series against the Vikings. To read more about Schaub's injury, click **here**.
Sage to start: With Schaub out for the next two to three weeks with a knee injury, Sage Rosenfels will return to the starting lineup.
Rosenfels was 4-1 as a starter last season and threw a career-high 15 touchdown passes. He started for Schaub in the Texans' 31-27 loss to Indianapolis in Week 5 at Reliant Stadium. In the game, he completed 21-of-33 passes for 246 yards with a touchdown, an interception and two lost fumbles.
Last Sunday, Rosenfels took over for Schaub at halftime at Minnesota and finished the game by completing 21-of-29 passes for 224 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. His performance would have been nearly perfect except for the pick he threw to Kevin Walter in the end zone.
"He's played very good football for this football team," coach Gary Kubiak said. "He's had a couple of opportunities this year against Indy and did some really good things in that game. Yesterday in the second half, (he) played extremely well, did a lot of good things, got our team in position to have a chance to win yesterday.
"This is an opportunity that he's been talking about all offseason and what he wants in his career, which I think it's awesome and expect him to get some big opportunities in some very important games here."
{QUOTE}Rosenfels' first opportunity will come against a Baltimore Ravens defense that is ranked second in the league.
"I think the biggest thing is that I've got to go out there and I've got to play as close to a perfect game as possible," Rosenfels said. "This defense isn't going to give many easy ones, or any easy ones. So, I've got to go out there and basically play perfect football. I can't turn the ball over. I've got to hit guys when they are open. When nothing is open, I've got to throw it away and move on because mistakes have been killing us and against this team they will definitely be magnified being that this defense is definitely one of the best in the league."
Turnovers still a problem: The Texans' have been their own worst enemy more often than not this season. They are minus-8 in turnover ratio (30th in the league), and most of those turnovers have been cause by the quarterbacks.
"We're at the bottom of the league as far as turning the ball over," Kubiak said. "And to me, that starts with quarterbacks' decisions, and I've talked to them about that. I've talked about us wanting to see in the second half if that's something we can flip over and turn around, but the game is in their hands. Regardless of whether you're here or on the road or where you're at, you get in tight ballgames and tough situations the games in the quarterbacks' hands, whether it's ours or anybody else's and you've got to be making good decisions, team decisions that give you the best chance to win."
As far as fixing those problems, Kubiak had this to say:
"Well, you just have to keep pounding on it and keep harping on it as a football team. You keep working with them (Schaub and Rosenfels) and explaining to them how those situations hurt the football team. They are two very fine players. They're two guys that do a lot of good things and are going to have a heck of a career. But at the same time, they are two guys that have to clean up their issues of turning the ball over. When you're a player in this league and you don't have any problems and you're a great player, you're probably going to the Hall of Fame. So, there are a lot of guys with problems that we as coaches try to help and try to fix and I don't have any doubt that these two guys can do that better and fix those problems. But we have to do better."
Odds and ends: Rosenfels said he had not spoken to many players about taking over as a starter, but he did speak to Schaub.
"I think he's just frustrated," Rosenfels said. "He was having a good year and to get hurt is frustrating. Anytime a player has an injury, it's frustrating."
The Texans will change their approach with linebacker DeMeco Ryans this week. Ryans was the team's leading tackler for the last two seasons, but has seen his numbers drop this year. Against the Vikings, he recorded just four tackles.
"He hasn't missed a snap," Kubiak. "He hasn't missed practice. He's played a great deal. We are going to take a little bit different approach with him this week to see if we can get him more rested and a couple of other guys also along the way. But, it's obvious we're at a point this season and we're a team that had no bye week this year and we're halfway."
